Eight Months in Review

Shortbus is sleeping so I'm going to quickly post a review of the last eight months since we went off line. I enjoy many aspects of the foreign service lifestyle: travel, immersion in foreign cultures, new languages, different foods, etc. But one big drawback is "PCS," or permanent change of station; i.e. the process of moving from one post to another. We move every two to three years. And this isn't a UHaul across town. It includes staged packing of belongings we'll need in carry-on and checked luggage, stuff we'll get in a few weeks ("unaccompanied air baggage"), and the rest of our "household effects" which me don't see again for months. It's like planning a phased military invasion. A mentor once told me he and his wife simply agreed not to talk during pack-out. He was joking. I think. It's a stressful time. It hasn't been that bad, but that's probably because Elyse does all the logistics and planning.

Anyway, that is my long excuse as to why we haven't posted for so long. First we had to say good by to our wonderful friends and enjoyable life in Kathmandu. That was in August, 2013. What a great first tour. Nepal is an amazing country and professionally it was a fun and rewarding job. I couldn't have asked for a better consular tour or better co-workers. It was Ryan's first real home, where she learned to walk, do "prayer hands" and say "namaste." And due to certain privations that come with the territory, Elyse can now bake various breads, brew an array of beers, make several cheeses and even whip up some big, soft pretzels if I get a hankering. And before we knew it, the two years had passed. Pheri betaula (see you later) Nepal.

We moved back to DC for six months of training. Elyse and I learned Spanish. Ryan hung out at a bacteria factory called day care. Before we knew it, it was March and time to move again. But first...a mandated "home leave" where we must reacquaint ourselves with the US of A. (How else could I credibly represent Amurka while overseas? Never mind we'd been living there for half a year.) We made the most of it and visited family and friends in New Jersey, New York, Idaho, Florida, Washington, Oregon and California. We saw the last three states from the comfort of an RV as we drove from Seattle to San Fran and "camped" in some of the country's greatest parks. (If you haven't yet, go to the Red Woods.) Then it was back across the country to Florida. Ryan's 20th flight (or so) by the age of two. A few more days with family and we were off to our new home: Montevideo, Uruguay. And here we are. Post number two. Seems great so far. Ocean breezes, sunset views and lots of good wine and beef. We'll make it somehow.

Shortbus Conquers this Blog

This is Shortbus. I'm a cat. And I'm in charge now. The blog title Serenity Now was lame, so I changed it. Deal. I am originally from Cape Verde. I now live in Uruguay. Before this I lived in Kathmandu (no lame puns). Remember how I conquered it? No? Read here. Those were good times. Besides my life abroad, I've also stray cat-strutted around Florida, Georgia, Rhode Island and Washington DC. You could say I'm a rambling cat. I've been around. In my spare time I do a little math and physics. I'm working with some Cartan matrices right now. Anyway, it's about time I get my dues. So here you are. Enjoy. Now I'm off to conquer the Spanish language. In Uruguay the cats say "miau." Weird.

Yo necesito una cerveza.

It's been a while, but...

We'll be back in a moment.

Babies and Booze

For the ideal aperetif, mix the following ingredients:

- Monday yoga night in apartment 2W for the ladies

- Two dads with toddlers and some time to kill

- A childless friend who likes to beat a bongo drum

- "The Bartender's Guide for Dummies"

- Three apartments' liquor collections

We call the concoction, Babies and Booze. Bottoms up.

 

Notice the family resemblance between dad and son?

 

BFFs

Kids say the most unintelligible things

15 days until wheels up. I've been really busy with work and Elyse has been busy caring for the kid and getting our house in order for pack out.  It's hard to find time, and a topic, for a blog.  So much of what I find interesting I simply hesitate to post on-line. I have many interesting stories or my own opinions about things like Nepali culture, Nepali government, U.S. immigration law, funny visa cases, strange Americans wandering the globe...but it can be pretty sensitive stuff not for mass consumption. I guess it's the cautious diplomat in me.  We call it "sensitive but unclassified."  The only 100% safe topic, in my opinion, is baby stories. Personally, I find parents' constant baby stories monotonous.  Also, she broke our camera. I could tell stories and weave a tapestry with my words, but it's so labor intensive. Ahh, what the heck.  She's worth it.  Here's one nugget I'll want for posterity.. 

We've taught Ryan a lot of sign language.  If I had to guess, she probably knows 60 or more signs.  Mostly animals, which isn't really helpful.  It is, however, entertaining.  Take a kid who can sign sheep to New Zealand and they'll never stop shearing the imaginary wool on their arm. She also knows a lot of useful stuff for parents like milk, yes, please, more, all done, food, etc.  But she's beginning to speak as well now.  Her spoken vocabulary now consists of the following words (actual pronunciation in parentheses): daddy (daddieeee), mommy (mommiemommiemommiemommiemommie), me (ME!), ouch (oush), couch (coush), pool (poow), motor boat (mow bow), back pack (back pi), jelly (blblblbl), bubble (lblblblb) and bow (pronounced perfectly).

It's the final countdown

We now have only two months left on our first foreign service tour. The time has flown by, just like my two years in Peace Corps. Upon arrival it seems like two years is a long time. But at the end, you feel like you are just getting to know the place and your job. There will be time at the end to recognize and celebrate what an amazing country Nepal is, but for now I just wanted to note the time we have left. I can't help starting to look ahead. I've been watching videos about Uruguay on You Tube and studying the map of Montevideo. I really like what I see so far. It will be SO different from Kathmandu and Nepal, for better and worse. But that is the nature of this gig and why I like it. Every few years a new culture, language, city, work environment, job description. It's not for everyone, and maybe not even more me forever, but for now it is very exciting. Though, I am perhaps most excited about the rock climbing gym that is only blocks away from where we will likely live in Montevideo. I've also been pleased to see that I've maintained a lot of my Spanish. I've read a few news articles and understood narration on You Tube videos. And yet the Foreign Service language institute believes I'm a "0/0" in Spanish, meaning I know nothing, because I've never tested in Spanish. But seven years of Spanish between high school and a minor in college, combined with a summer in Costa Rica and learning Portuguese, means I know un pocito. It should come pretty easily. But back to the present. Two more months in Kathmandu. Not bad. Not bad at all.